Technical characteristics

Screen: 15 inches (2880×1800)

CPU: Intel Core i7-3720q (2.6-3.6 GHz)

Memory: 8 GB DDR3-1666 MHz

Video card :: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650M + Intel HD Graphics 4000 (built -in)

Solid -state drive: 512 GB

Connection: Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0

Connectors: 2x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt, HDMI, Audio

Operating system: OS X Mountain Lion

Opening hours: up to 7 hours

Additionally: cardrider, webcam, keyboard backlight

Dimensions: 35.9×24.7×1.8 cm

Weight: 2 kg

Price for June 2013: 119,000 rubles

Apple laptops, probably one of the most fertile topics for disputes. They are expensive, in terms of characteristics are far from the "top", and out of obvious advantages, only screens with crazy permissions and unusual OS X have. We decided to deal with this topic and tell everything as it is, without bindings to the brand, its history and the established area of ​​rumors. For this, ordinary PC-laptops were put aside and spent two months at the MacBook Pro with Retina display (hereinafter-MacBook).

The first acquaintance

When a box worth 119,000 rubles fell into our hands, inside we expected to see a bunch of everything interesting and unusual. But it wasn't there. Under the milky-white lid lay a laptop, a pile of colorful instructions and charging. Mice, rags, covers – this is in the accessory department.

Similar situation and appearance. Originality – not about "Mack". Rather, it looks cool: a silver rectangle, rounded corners, thickness 1.8 cm. The problem is that the PC sector has long mastered all this, and the “apple” products themselves have already managed to become familiar and can surprise only with the elaboration of some details.

Actually, one of the main features of all “poppies” is aluminum corps. Apple really takes a piece of metal, pulls out technological holes in it, polishes and fills it with electronics. It looks amazing. No backlash, sutures, unnecessary joints; The computer is felt as a whole device with perfectly drawn lines https://slotonights-casino.co.uk/, faces and seats for ports. The only negative is the softness of the material itself-it is overgrown with scratches at some incredible speed.

But what you can’t hold on is to the hinge connecting the halves of the shell. At first glance, everything is standard: confidently holds the screen in the right position and does not allow it to open when carrying. You notice a catch when you transplant for another model. It turns out that when you pull the MacBook cover, the lower part does not start after the neighbor, but remains in place, as if nailed to the table with nails.

Why in the PC sector this is a rarity, we don’t know-the thing is cool, we could also slurp, and at the same time learn to conduct the center of gravity in the middle of the body. Thanks to this feature, crawling from the kitchen into a room with a cup of tea in one hand and an open computer in the other, you can not be afraid that the laptop will fall on the side.

However, if PC manufacturers do not deal with the weight, then you should definitely think about charging. Of course, we understand that Apple is hidden behind a dozen patents, but hiding the Magsafe company connector from us – disgrace. Explain why.

From a neat power supply, with special ears for wire winding, a cable with a magnetic tip leaves. It is enough to bring it to the port, as the wiring literally sticks to the body and tells the green spark that the "charge has gone". The scheme works in the opposite direction. When you touch the cable inadvertently with your foot, the laptop does not go into a swift flight and does not even part with the torn contact, but simply “releases” the wire.

Inside

Unfortunately, the inside is not impressive so much. An island keyboard awaits under the lid (by the way, it came up with it Sony , not Apple) with a hard back and white backlight. The layout is mainly standard, but there are features-and for the PC user not very pleasant. The main setup is on the site of “Delete” is “food”, so at first unexpected shutdowns are guaranteed. Someone will strain “FN” instead of “CTRL”, as well as the branded “Command” key, which squeezed the left “Alt”. But the touchpad is exemplary. A large, well -defined panel with support for multi -tank technology. Nothing supernatural, but it is convenient to use.

The same can be said about a couple of speakers located on the sides of the keyboard. Brown fans of “poppies” claim that “acoustics sound fantastic, the volume is high, the top is clean, the bass is elastic”. We are ready to subscribe only under the “volume”, everything else is not true. "Mack" gives out the most ordinary sound: a lot of tall, weak hint of the middle and no lower. Although the columns can be forgiven the manufacturer, because if you raise your eyes, then he will appear in front of them-Retina-display.

Screen

For those who, for some reason, have missed the last three years in the world of technology and is surprised who Retina is a brief excursion into history. Until 2010, I heard about the money and well, those who were known for those who were known were understood by the retina of the eyeball. Call the displays so after the presentation iPhone 4.

A matrix was installed in it with a resolution of 330 pixels per inch, and this, for a minute, is more than can see the human eye. A little later, Apple reduced the requirements for the screens: in the iPad 3 retina, 267 points were already called the same area, and on MacBook – 220 (2880×1800) points. However, the company does not consider this a deviation from the rules. According to the developers, we look at the laptop from a much greater distance than on the phone, and therefore there are enough pixels to be a given number of pixels so as not to see individual points. And you know, this is very similar to the truth.

In practice

The MacBook picture gives out so clear that the first couple of hours with an idiotic smile on your face you peer into icons, fonts, scaling each open window and banally enjoy perfectly drawn lines. And you are mastering with such a density of points instantly – you need to get used only to the scale of the picture.

Even with the enlargement of all icons and text, sometimes you have to look closely at the menu lines or individual program points. And on the Internet, on the contrary, not to pay attention to the strongly swollen logos (as it was with the third -generation iPad, not all sites are prepared for the possibilities of unusual matrices).

Contraindicated on Retina and viewing video of low quality. Launch all sorts of “380p” with YouTube – natural disrespect for Apple’s work, Full HD is suitable, and preferably Ultra HD, although films in the last today are worth its weight in gold.

But where the permission is allowed to put anyone – it is in games. On Retina they look just gorgeous. There is a feeling that throughout the image from the heart passed some kind of anti-aliasing at 8x: the boundaries of objects are even, without a hint of angularity or “ladder”. The only thing is that difficulties arise with the interface. You can play your family 2880×1800 exclusively in shooters or arcades. In RPG and strategies, with their developed menus, it is better not to meddle – everything is too small. Another problem that is in wait for the start of games is an endless selection of parameters with which the project will go in 2880×1800.

Filling

Although Apple supporters believe that their beloved company naturally works miracles, she could not get around the laws of computers. Yes, MacBook is suitable for a replacement for a home computer, but exclusively like a machine for work.

High-quality IPS matrix covers the entire SRGB palette and shows itself perfectly in graphic applications. Powerful crystal, four -core Intel Core i7-3720q 2.6 GHz, lightly copes with heavy programs like Photoshop. Built -in 8 GB of DDR3 is enough to confidently feel when communicating with a browser and massive photos/videos. SSD at 512 GB almost instantly launches the entire software and the operating system itself. But here is a video card … to shove a top -end one in such a limited space GeForce GTX 680M The engineers failed – they put GTX 650M , and she, honestly, is weak.

In order to at least somehow play in Bioshock Infinite in the cherished resolution, we had to drop the settings almost to a minimum. The same situation with other projects. Metro: Last Light , Hitman: Absolution , Tomb Raider – No excesses.

Summarizes "MAC" and with other moments. If you did not sleep in physics lessons, you must probably remember: aluminum has an prohibitively high thermal conductivity. In other words, he perfectly removes heat and at the same time heated quickly. MacBook is a vivid confirmation. After three or four minutes of the game on the case, it is really possible to warm your hands after a winter walk without gloves. Moreover, it is unpleasant, the temperature is growing not somewhere in the center of the center, but right under the beloved “WSAD” beloved block by us.

The cooling system is to blame for this. Fresh air climbs on the sides of the keyboard, but it throws it under the screen, just on the far part of the laptop. In office work, this is not scary, on the contrary, the knees, as they say, "do not burn", but in games it becomes impossible to keep a laptop on the legs. Another minus: in full load mode, the computer accelerates the fans and begins to significantly make noise. By the nature of the rumble, it resembles heavy rain outside the window – it does not annoy, but it interferes with the household.

The sore subject is here and with the number of connectors. Two USB 3.0 – negligible for a laptop with the proud inscription "Professional". I connected the mouse, the outer hard drive – and all, neither the flash drive, nor the column. Either go for a USB-hut, or sit and engage in iron management, guessing why you are a nearby pair of Thunderbolt.

As you can see, the ideal from the MacBook Pro with Retina did not work. And even if you close your eyes, imagining that 120,000 rubles in our country is so, the average salary, we still say: this laptop is not for everyone. Yes, he is good as a working laptop, an excellent companion for business trips, it is pleasant to appear with him at a meeting, but for games you still have to buy a separate system. Weak video card and increased heating with noise do their job.

Well, relative to the price. It seems that I must say: there is no “poppy” of your money. But it will be wrong. In s, cut such a case, design the arrangement of the fillings in it, order non -standard boards, install a capacious battery, and even make a display – all this is very expensive and, of course, affects the final cost. Another thing is that you can do without all this.

Pros:

Convenient governing bodies

Light weight

High level of performance

Attention to details

Cons:

The case is unstable to scratches

few connectors

heshes significantly and rustles under load

Around its axis

All MacBook is supplied with a pre -installed OS X system. Unfortunately, some still believe that this operating room is not capable of anything and grazes almost any more or less serious task. Avid skeptics will have to disappoint. After the final transition to the Intel platform, impossible things in the “poppies” have almost no left. The only thing is not always understood where to look for a particular function.

OS X does not have a conventional data structure familiar in Windows. The OS works on the principle of "here's your applications, here's the sandbox to them, sit, play". And while you obey these laws – everything is fine, easy and convenient. Another thing is when you need to perform some more complex and specific actions.

For example, we, as people closely related to Word, needed about two weeks only to master all the key combinations (they are completely different) and the new location of all sorts of menu, options, and templates in the “apple” version. As a rule, many do not withstand this and roll on a “MAC” ordinary Windows.

To do it is simple. The system has a Boot Camp utility, a step -by -step master of Windows installation. To work, he needs only a flash drive with a distribution and an indication of how much to allocate places under the enemy OS. The whole process takes ten minutes from strength and does not even require HDD formatting.

Table 1

Synthetic tests

3dmark 11 (Performance)

Graphics

2300

Physics

7 622

Score

2 517

PCMark07

Score

664

Unigine Heaven 4.0

Fps

9.7

Score

245

Unitine Valley 1.0

Fps

11

Score

460

Table 2.

Game tests (personnel per second)

Tomb Raider

1680×1050

Low

44.4

Medium

31.9

1920×1080

Low

33

Medium

30.3

2880×1800

Low

17

Medium

14

Hitman: Absolution

1680×1050

VERYLOW

41.5

Low

40.1

Medium

29.9

1920×1080

VERYLOW

39.2

Low

35.4

Medium

26.1

2880×1800

VERYLOW

19.9

Low

17.3

Medium

12.8

Metro: Last Light

1680×1050

Low

31

Medium

28

High

20

1920×1080

Low

28

Medium

25

High

18

2880×1800

Low

14

Medium

13

High

8

Bioshock Infinite

1680×1050

VERYLOW

70.4

Low

51.7

Medium

40.1

High

35.1

Veryhight

22.6

1920×1080

VERYLOW

55.3

Low

40.6

Medium

33.6

High

31.4

Veryhight

19.7

2880×1800

VERYLOW

27.9

Low

19.8

Medium

14.8

High

13.8

Veryhight

7.6

07 August 2014 -Sobe opinion

What a sin to hide, we have seen a lot of switches for the still short history of the gaming industry. Some will recall the story with the "reissue" PS2 versions Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time -For some reason, an old game was packed in boxes, almost identical to those where the new The Forgotten Sands. Others are the sensational "hit" Lada Racing Club, for the sake of additional profit, divided into several discs. And someone, perhaps, can not forgive the creators of the PC version Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 , almost demo versions at the price of a full-fledged game. Such cases, if desired, you can remember dozens.

And more recently, another misunderstanding joined the extensive list, and the name to him, to universal surprise, – Colin Mcrae Rally.

Marketing flour

It would seem that a wonderful game, a legend … How can you even raise your hand to a holy? I hasten to make excuses: it will not be about an old masterpiece, but about the “reprint” that appeared in Steam recently. Seeing familiar words on the "window" of the store, many fans were delighted: here it is, a dream, a full remake of the best part of the series!

As it turned out, they hurried. At a price of five dollars Codemasters They laid out not at all the classics, but transferred to PC … a mobile version.

► Formally, the developers did not deceive anyone: no one promised reprints. Another thing is that they also did not say a word about the mobile version. But they decorated the description of the meaningful “Based on Content from the 90 Percent Metacritic Rated Colin Mcrae Rally 2.0 ", and in the trailer they also added:" Re-Mastered for HD ". It is not surprising that fans believed in miracles.

Yes, they threw off the very mobile version in Steam: excessively light, with four cars, three tracks, one melody, lack of settings and not the most pleasant eye with a picture. From Colin Mcrae Rally 2.0 The game differs dramatically: it has lost most modes, music, videos, tracks and cars. However, the most important thing is that the technical component has radically changed: they made a project on the currently popular Unity, and physics and complexity were clearly adjusted to mobile phones.

► “Reprinting” looks not that much better than the “original” 2000.

Of the advantages, we note only that a very pleasant physics (for sensory devices, of course) and part of the content that migrated from the old Colin Mcrae Rally 2.0. But one thing is to release such a “solid” set on some Android, and it is quite another to offer it to the hardcore audience on PC. And even with a description that draws in the imagination, the sour shores and chocolate mountains.

Of course, it is possible to play all this charm, in the same Steam there were lucky ones who were actually carried away by simple short races and even seriously accepted the project for reprinting the classics. Another question is why to do this when the amazing Colin Mcrae Rally 2.0 Runes without problems on PC.

I would like to ask the same question to developers. Although the answer to it is very simple: you just have to look at the number of poor fans who mistakenly accepted this creation by the remake and honestly bought it. Codemasters, of course, have already apologized, changed the description of the game and even return money to customers. But in an accident, it is believed with great difficulty.

Search good in everything

However, I see here the positive side. Yes, people were inflated, which, to put it mildly, is bad. On the other hand, albeit small, but a scandal-at least some reminder of the great series by which we really miss. In addition, the mobile version, Scarab Wins Casino despite all its shortcomings, after all, part of those beautiful times when the games named after a magnificent racer came out Colin Makreya. And remembering them now is very nice.

► Unfortunately, on September 15, 2007, the legend of motorsport was gone. The helicopter ruled by Colin Makry fell, and his five -year -old son, as well as two friends of the family, died with the racer, one of which was barely six years old.

If you look at dry statistics, the hype around the name Makrey can not understand: only one title in WRC and twenty -five wins. At the same Sebastien Leba Not an example anymore! Nevertheless, it was this pilot who was remembered by everyone who was lucky enough to plunge into the atmosphere of the World Rally Championship of those years. Perhaps because of the difficulty he was given the way to the top. Perhaps-thanks to incredible assertiveness and passion, because of which in his youth the racer sometimes fell into an accident. And certainly many remember him as the very rider who made a champion command from Subaru and always fought until the end. Although the technique brought him more than once or twice.

The racing series of the same name appeared much later, when the main successes of the Scottish pilot were already history. And, it is possible, it was thanks to her that Colin Makrey's name became famous not only in racing circles. However, it can already be said for sure that with this series not the most famous British from Codemasters before once took a step in the elite.

► Even now playing old projects is interesting. The only thing you need to put up with is weak graphics.

Now that Codemasters games are primarily devoted to colorful accidents (see. Grid 2), either Jimkhan and rally crorses (the latest issues Dirt), I can’t even believe a little that they once had truly serious simulators. The first part had an official WRC license, Makry himself participated in the development, the number of details was amazing, and the physicist was the best in those times. On different coatings, the car behaved differently, and during jumps and drifts it seemed as if you were sitting not in front of the monitor, but behind the wheel of a real car. It cannot be called the most realistic, but it was the perfect balance between the arcade and the simulator that became, perhaps, the main reason for success.

At the same time, the races were long and tense. Constantly putting pressure on the “Start again” button, as in Dirt, was over time, so in which case I had to recoup right along the way and with a minimum number of errors. The cars really had to set up for each highway, the damage did not go anywhere after the race, and it was incredibly important to choose the right rubber. The game was made by real fanatics of their business, and it conveyed the main thing: the spirit of the rally, when every blunder can do very expensive, every special facet is important, and the danger is felt literally in every turn.

► the heir to the great series looks good. But all that she was once loved for, he lost her.

Continuation only strengthened the position of the series. It turned out so successful that the subsequent issues have not reached this bar of quality anymore. But even the weakest games of the series have always remained at least good projects.

One “but”: over time, it became clear that the hardcore audience does not fully satisfy Codemasters ambitions. The fifth part did not retain that very middle ground between the dynamic arcade and a serious simulator, and starting with Colin Mcrae: Dirt The series (and with her and her developers) took a step in a completely new direction: towards bright, but still superficial races.

* * *

Now taste the real rally, alas, you can only in old games. Official simulators WRC from Milestone Not that terrible, but calling their physics impeccable, and the repeated special stages cannot be interesting. Dirt, even if he allows him to ride off -road, to the rally simulator, with all his desire, does not reach: everything is too simple there.

Here are the connoisseurs of the genre and grab the straw, buying dubious "remakes". I would like to believe that this ugly story will help the British to change their minds and show what fans actually expect from it. And maybe, Dirt 4 and there will be a “miracle” that we are so missing at times.